BMMC MAGAZINE - British Motor Racing Marshals Club

BMMC MAGAZINE
South Midlands Region May 2013
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Contents
Picture by AE-Photography.co.uk
3 - The Chairman’s Chatter
Notes from the Chairman
4 - Editor’s Comments
Going into Rallying – The Process
10 - BMMC Marshal Of The Year
Council Announcement
11 - Marshals Urgently
Required
13 - Karting Korner
Pete Cox tells us what is going on
in the Karting world
15 - Rally Article
Jaz Bareham swaps time cards for
airwaves
21 - BRITISH MOTORSPORTS
MARSHALS CLUB
South Mids Region Club Nights
22 - BMMC and Social
Media
23 - Go Motorsport
24 - 750 Sporting Trials
Day 2013 Season
25 - Regalia Sales Order
Form
BMMC - S Mids Regalia Sales
Order Form
26 - Chase Templeton
Insurance
Special Rates on Personal
Insurance for BMMC
Members
27 - Regional Officers
28 - National Officers
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The Chairman’s Chatter….
Paul Harris, South Midlands Chairman……..
Welcome to the newsletter for the South Midlands
Region….
I hope the start of your season is going well and you are all enjoying your Motorsport.
I did my first event of the season at Donington for the HSCC, really enjoyed it, I was Post Chief on post 39
and had a good bunch marshals with me. Not much in the way of incidents but a good days racing none the
less.
The day after Donington I slipped on some ice, broke my ankle in 2 places and am now out of marshalling
until end of July at the earliest. I do however intend to go to Castle Combe on the 27 th May as a spectator
and hobble around on my crutches - that should give the regulars a laugh if nothing else.
On Sunday 7 th July Go Motorsport are putting on a live show at Silverstone and the South Mids Region is
organising a BMMC stand to try and attract new members to our sport. A Rescue unit from Midland region
will be there to give real time demonstrations to the public. We will also have Barry Williams historic Mini
rally car on display and members of BRMC will be there to enlighten people to the joys of rallying.
Admission is free and more details of the show can be found further into this newsletter.
By now you should have heard where you will be marshalling the GP this year. If not I believe you can go
unto the MSA website and pull the details. I do hope its better weather this year than last, and you all keep
safe. Those of you who are there for the first time make sure you enjoy the experience and don’t forget to
take all the relevant paperwork (and make sure it’s filled in correctly) that you will need at sign on, on the
Thursday, I’ve forgot one year and had to go home and get the missing “green card”. So be warned!!!!!!!!!!
At our last committee meeting Clive Wayland, our Regional Training Officer announced that as he was
retiring from his day job, and he would also be retiring from the committee this year. He will be sorely
missed. If you would like to, or if you know anyone who would be willing to take on the job please let me
know either by phone 01525 382341 or email me at sm.chair@marshals.co.uk You do not have to be a
trainer in your own right, but you will need to be a good organiser. Clive has said that if we are able to fill the
position before he leaves, he will give the new person all the help he can, as of course will the committee.
Paul Harris
Chairman South Mids Regional
British Motorsport Marshals Club
On another note - Eric Ridler the National Regalia Officer would like to remind everyone that he has
taken over the procedure for Subsidy Claims in respect of AWS Overalls, Hi- Vis Clothing or
Personal Medical Insurance. The BMMC Website has already been changed to reflect this, but this
is a note to all Members making you aware of the change as some are still forwarding forms to Sue
Whitlock. Can you all please make sure you use this link in future to access the relevant forms:
http://www.marshals.co.uk/national/bulletin/National+Regalia+Officer+/75.htm
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Editor’s Comments
Going Into Rallying – The First Rally
So, what’s happened since the last instalment of Going Into Rallying, quite a lot actually. The metro has
now been MOT’d and passed with flying colours which was a relief after all the work that had been done
on her. She was then insured through REIS Insurance and taxed all ready to go to Ross & Wye for the
Ross Endurance Rally on 27 – 28 Apr.
27 Apr arrived very quickly and we got up early so we could give the car a last minute check over, a wash
and a wax to make her look pretty as well as checking all our safety equipment before loading her onto
the trailer. The drive to Ross & Wye was thankfully uneventful. We got to The Penyard House just
outside of Ross & Wye where all the competitors were being accommodated and whilst Paul unloaded
the car from the trailer I went and got us booked into the hotel, get our keys and drop of our kit in the
room. By the time I returned to help Paul others had turned up and we were in full conversation with
some of them as they recognised the car commenting that it was really good to see her back rallying.
Here you can see the metro bedded down for the night with some of the other cars and if you look closely
enough at her I would swear she’s smiling.
The day of reckoning finally came. It started off very nice with the sun shining through the bedroom
window followed by a nice leisurely breakfast in the dining room of poached eggs on toast, orange juice
and coffee. Unfortunately for me, the nerves kicked in very early and before we had even left the hotel I
was in the ladies with my head down the loo. Talk about nerves, I knew I would be nervous, but come on,
I wasn’t expecting it to kick in so soon or so drastically. We then headed off to the Ross Auction Centre
where we went through scrutineering which was an experience and thankfully uneventful.
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Inside the auction centre was the next stage where I signed us on and received our pack up,
synchronized our watches with the Rally Clock and went into the cafe for a coffee and a look at the
contents of the ominous brown envelope.
First mistake was when we sat down with our coffees, out of habit I started to read the instructions
instead of going through the selectifs with Paul. He got a little frustrated with this and walked out leaving
me to it as he doesn’t like just sitting there with nothing to do, so he took the opportunity to walk the first
selectif which unique to this particular is just outside in the carpark. This therefore left with another trip to
the ladies, then back to the books, sit down, deep breath, drink coffee and get composed. Paul came
back, and we both apologised to each other, we then sat down and went through the book together
before going out to walk round the first selectif as a pair with me talking through the directions and Paul
explaining his intentions, it was all getting pretty real now.
As we were both walking down the first part of the selectif I suddenly realised Paul was no longer beside
me as he wasn’t talking to me anymore so I turned round and saw him stood there in the middle of the
road and noticed his whole demeanour had changed as it had finally dawned on him that here he was
finally realising his dream. Here was this man who suddenly looked like he was 12 yrs old again when he
saw his first rally as a spectator at night seeing the lights coming through the trees of Dalby Forest in
Yorkshire on the Lombard RAC Rally almost smelling the burning and exhaust fumes dreaming one day
to have a go himself and now here he is about to take part in his first ever rally. All I could do for him was
to give him a hug as he shook slightly with excitement and obviously as nervous as me. To be honest, I
was a little relieved to see this I would most certainly have been worried at this point if he wasn’t a bit
nervy. One thing Paul always said to me after my trips to the ladies was “It shows you care”. So now I
quoted it back to him and after we composed ourselves off we set to walk the selectif before heading
back for the competitors brief.
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After the brief it really dawned on us then that we were now part of the Rally and as the other competitors
went back to their cars for last minute preparations, a chill or even a brew I sat down on the wall at the
foot of the steps to try and take it all in and didn’t even hear Paul calling to me. Finally I heard him say he
was going to go to the car to put the numbers on and asking if I was going to join him. Visit number three
to the ladies. By this time my insides were knotted so much it hurt. Off I went to the car and arrived just
as Paul was putting the numbers on the car and we went through the book again making sure we had
everything we needed and went to watch the other competitors as they started.
We were 42 out of 43 cars. It then became time for us to start queuing in turn with everyone else so into
the car we went, harnesses on, into the queue, looked at each other, shook hands and said good luck to
each other. It was now too late to turn back as we had now crossed that point of no return as I handed
my card through the window to the marshal for our start time of 1042 to be written on. This was then
handed back and we were being counted down. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Go Go Go and we were off and what
seemed like an eternity was soon over and before I knew it we were at the end of that selectif and I was
handing my card to the marshal to get our time and we were then off to the next selectif and using tulips
to get us there.
I found you have to be spot on with them and your distances between each one as well as keeping an
eye on the road ahead for one small mistake where I read the tulip wrong meant we carried on round the
road instead of taking a left turn causing us to turn up at the next selectif last. Car number 43 tho’ let us
go ahead of him seeing as we were just seconds behind them and everyone else was still queuing. This
was the first and last time we were given this courtesy, after this it was all hell let loose as the red fog
descended on Paul and once again we were off this time tearing through the countryside. Paul having to
contend with constantly changing driving conditions and terrain the sump guard earning its keep, trees,
gates, logs and even at one time massive fruit crates flashing past my window, at one point I heard a dull
thud on a particularly long very fast gravel track, only to see a cloud of feathers announcing unfortunate
demise of the worlds unluckiest pheasant.
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We stopped for a spot of lunch and at this point we were 14 th from the bottom. We still had to go out in
the same order as we did first thing as we weren’t getting reseeded until we got to the Supper Halt. The
rest of the selectifs went very well and we were passing other competitors who had broken down with
such things as broken drive shafts and suspension struts. The car was going from strength to strength
and so was Paul gaining confidence with each test. The only incident we encountered was a flat front tyre
towards the end of the second to last selectif. We limped to the finish line where we pulled over to let
other cars behind us finish without being held up and we found we got penalised for this as we didn’t
cross the finish line in the correct way. Anyway off we went, changed the tyre and then headed off to the
day time regularity before completing the rest of the selectifs and then headed off to the Supper Halt.
Pauls driving was absolutely fantastic. I had every faith in him to get us round the course in one piece
and on one particular selectif his driving skills were put to the test. We were going through a farm, driving
alongside the fields and coming to a very nasty 90 right which after coming round there were some logs
on the left side of the road. Paul managed to miss these but at the same time nearly wrapped us around
a tree trying to avoid the logs. It was at this point that I decided to look up and if it wasn’t for the
harnesses I would have been in Paul’s lap because I flinched that much. Paul managed to miss the tree,
not altogether though as it brushed the passenger side mirror knocking it out of place. If it wasn’t for his
fast thinking and reaction we would have been out of the rally at that point for sure. There was another
part where we were going through the woods and ended up going over a rather sharp crest and landed
hard on the other side. Paul could have sworn he’d ripped the sump guard off at that point though we
couldn’t see any debris at the end, mind you Paul was driving that fast I don’t think we would have had a
chance to see much behind us. At the end of that selectif the Marshals were asked if there was much
damage to the underneath of the car and before we knew it there was like 3 or 4 marshals on their kneed
having a look underneath for us and all came back with “Nope nothing’s wrong, it’s nice and clean, you’re
fine”. We both looked at each other in surprise, shrugged our shoulders and carried on.
At the end of a 5 mile double looped forest and tarmac selectif around a manor house reminiscent of the
old RAC stages through Harwood house or Longleet back in the good old days, Paul pulled the car up at
the finish check point, we were both very hyper after what seemed like ages but was only 8 or so minutes
and if you had seen the tracks we were on, some of you wouldn’t like to even ride a mountain bike on let
alone smash along them at 60+ MPH, I turned to Paul sniffing and almost shouted at him "WHATS
BURNING" he looked straight back at me with a wicked wide eyed grin "PROBABLY EVERYTHING" it
was that unmistakeable smell of burning mud, oils and boiling brake fluid , what a mental way to spend
your Saturday afternoon! None of that football rubbish.
After Supper we were able to see where we had been reseeded and how well or badly we had done
during the day. We were now 8 th from bottom with about 6 cars already retired. Our time to go out was at
2230 and we were only allowed to get the night time envelope at 2130 and not a minute before. As soon
as I sat down and looked at this envelope – whilst Paul went back to the car to get maps and check the
cars fluids, that was it, the nerves kicked in again at the sight of what lay in front of me. I had 67 map
references to plot over 3 OS Maps to get us from the Supper Halt back to the Clubhouse in Ross and an
hour to plot it in.
Trip number 4 to the ladies room ensued and this time I was even worse as I was shaking that badly that I
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had trouble writing. Paul came back in and saw the state I was in and tried to help me with the plotting.
We managed to get three quarters of the references plotted and were 10 minutes over out time slot by the
time we decided to head out and try plotting the rest on the way round. This I found was impossible to do
as it was pitch black and putting the light on in the car was distracting to Paul lesson learnt and after
doing as much as we could at the next check point we told the Marshals that we were going to re-plot an
easier route back and make our own way there so that the Marshals could be stood down as it was late at
night, freezing cold and we were last car.
When we got back to the Clubhouse we came across the Marshal there who was rather flustered as the
competitors were coming in thick and fast and other residents were trying to get past as well – it was also
a one way street – we were waiting there to have our time card signed so we could at least hand it in.
The Clerk of Course also turned up and didn’t exactly help – he jumped out of his car, spoke with the
Marshall, muttered something then jumped back into his car and sped off. We finally got our timecard
signed and off to the bar we went.
It wasn’t until the results were published that we found that we had been put down as retired as we hadn’t
finished the course. Upon investigation it became clear that the poor flustered marshal had signed only
one of our time cards and put in the time in the wrong place, therefore causing our card to become null
and void thereby causing us to be classed as retired.
Oh well never mind, at least we know in our minds that we finished. Looking back at some of the timings
as well have made us smile as we have only been something like 30 secs behind those in first place.
All in all it was a very good day and one steep learning curve. No matter how much you try and prepare
yourself and practice it can never be enough as you’re constantly on the go, constantly changing routes,
directions and with regards to driving, speeds and how you drive, from being aggressively competitive to
normal road driving in the blink of an eye. I put my nerves down to the fact that this Paul’s life dream and
ambition to get into rallying and here we were finally doing it. I was so privileged that he asked me to be
co-driver for him that I didn’t want to let him down so felt there was more pressure on me to complete this,
which there wasn’t off course.
When we got back to the Penyard House and our room there was a lovely surprise waiting for me that
Paul had arranged. I walked in to a bottle of Champagne chilling in an ice bucket and a bottle of chilled
wine. This was to say thank you for getting us back in one piece and for believing in him to not kill us.
I have also been told not to expect this everytime as this was a one off. If this is what he does as a thank
you for getting us there in the place I’d like to see what he’d do if we were to win one, and that is not an
impossibility. Look out next year when we do go in and compete in the Championship.
The Marshals were absolutely brilliant and if it wasn’t for them, as with every other motorsport event, this
one wouldn’t have gone ahead. They were a good laugh, made you feel welcome and helped as and
when they could.
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The next rally is already lined up and it’s The Huntsman in South Derbyshire 29-30 Jun. Look out for that
report in the next edition.
Gone Full Circle
So until Next Time Stay Safe
Kaz Connolly
South Mids Newsletter Editor
British Motorsports Marshals Club
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BMMC Unipart Marshal of the Year
Council Announcement
"Given Sue Whitlock's pending retirement from Bookkeeping (and other!) duties.
Council decided to make an early decision on Marshal of the Year and have decided that this year's
recipients should be Sue and Chris Whitlock.
Sue for her extensive work on Accounts, Membership, Reconciling DD's and generally keeping us all in
order.
Chris for his constant help - especially when Sue has been none too well - and for all his hard work in
bringing the Secretarial function up to date, with revised Memorandum and Articles and matching up the
rule book to suit.
As always the award will be handed over at the AGM but it was felt that the announcement should come
earlier, before Sue retires to the care of "her Chris"!!
Heartiest congratulations to this hard-working pair."
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Marshals Urgently Required
I am appealing to anyone who can marshal on Friday 31 st of May at Silverstone for the Blancpain
meeting. We are very short of marshals for this day of the meeting. It is on the GP circuit so it may give
you a chance to marshal on a part of the circuit that you have not been to yet.
I know that a lot of you will be at work but, if you could spare the time to help Penny out then please
contact her at:
Penny Norris
Marshals and Events Administrator
Silverstone Circuits Limited
Silverstone Innovation Centre, Silverstone Circuit, NN12 8TN
Tel: 01327 320295 Mob: 07764177136
MSVR/AMOC Donington 1st June
I urgently need Flags and Post Chiefs for the above meeting.
If you are available then please let me know.
Regards
Fay Crook
Home Tel No: 01327 857285 Mobile: 07843704274
DATE: Saturday 1st June 2013
VENUE: Rockingham Motor Speedway
ORGANISING CLUB: British Racing & Sports Car Club
MARSHALS REQUIRED: All Disciplines, Especially Flag, Pit Lane & Start Line
VOLUNTEERING: For the quickest and easiest way to confirm your availability, please use the BMMC
Midland Region Volunteering Calendar. Simply CLICK HERE
Alternatively, you’re welcome to call Roy Salsbury, BRSCC Midland Centre's Chief Marshal, on 07734
811 961 or email him at roys1@blueyonder.co.uk
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DATE: Sunday 9th June 2013
VENUE: Curborough Sprint Course
ORGANISING CLUB: Owen Motoring Club
MARSHALS REQUIRED: Any Discipline
VOLUNTEERING: For the quickest and easiest way to confirm your availability, please use the BMMC
Midland Region Volunteering Calendar. Simply CLICK HERE
FURTHER DETAILS: Named after Graham Hill, who drove for BRM and donated the trophy for the
event, this is still one of the most popular sprints held at Curborough. First run in 1964, 2013 will see its
50th anniversary!
A FREE buffet lunch will be provided for anyone who's able to volunteer.
DATE: Sunday 30th June 2013
VENUE: Donington Park (Grand Prix Circuit)
ORGANISING CLUB: 750 Motor Club
MARSHALS REQUIRED: All Disciplines
VOLUNTEERING: For the quickest and easiest way to confirm your availability, please use the BMMC
Midland Region Volunteering Calendar. Simply CLICK HERE
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KARTING ARTICLE
Shenington Karting Marshals to raise vital funds for army heroes
On Saturday, April 27 the kart club’s doors were opened to visitors who were able to enjoy a variety of
activities, including karting, while supporting Help for Heroes.
At a Top Gear Live show in Birmingham, 16-year-old Dylan Evans, who is a marshal at Shenington and
Silverstone with his father Keith, met with Keith Bowen who organises the annual Help for Heroes 4x4
European Rally. The father and son successfully applied to take part in the adventure, which follows the
route of the Band of Brothers series, paying respect to injured and lost forces personnel along the way.
In order to take part, each team has to pledge to raise £1,500 for the charity which is why the event was
organised.
“Dylan finishes his GCSEs in June and it will be a wonderful reward for him for all of his hard work, which
will hopefully culminate in him getting an engineering apprenticeship which is what he is the in the throes
of applying for,” said his mother Sally (who now also marshals at Shenington).
Dylan and his family came into marshalling via Dylan’s participation in Let’s Go Karting and we wish
Dylan and his dad Keith all the best when they undertake the rally in June 2013.
Shenington Superprix – 14/15/16 June
As well as a full programme of kart races for all classes, this will again will be a venue for a meeting of
the Historic Kart Club who as well as racing display their amazing karts for all to see. The Saturday
evening sees the popular Pig Roast and disco.
Pedal Car Championship – 24 hour race
The annual visit of the Pedal Cars for their 24 hour endurance race is once again taking place at
Shenington Kart Circuit on the weekend of 29/30 June (unfortunately clashes with the British Grand Prix
this year!). 45 pedal car teams will be taking part. This well organised event at Shenington is summed
up in their words as “sleep deprivation, exhaustion, sun burn and Eric The Shenington Dog”
Meeting dates for the next few months:
Shenington JUNE 14/15/16 (Superprix)
JULY 20/21
AUGUST 17/18
SEPTEMBER 14/15
And 27/28/29 (Super 1)
Whilton Mill JUNE 22/23
JULY 27/28
AUGUST 24/25
SEPTEMBER 21/22
Rissington JUNE 1/2
JULY 6/7
AUGUST 3/4
SEPTEMBER 31 Aug/1 Sept
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For marshalling please contact the following:
Shenington: Pete Cox Tel: 01295 257674 / 07770 866006
Whilton Mill: Chris Cook Tel: 07939 664852
Rissington: Mike Wynell-Mayow See Rissington web page for details
Pete Cox
petecoxkart@hotmail.com
Tel: 07770 866006 or 01295 257674
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Swapping time cards for airwaves....!
It has been a long winter for me, with only a couple of Arrival Control stints in the past few months
(Rockingham and Flying Fortress Stages), so when the British Rally Championship Media Day, the
Easter Stages Rally in Northern Ireland AND the Rally of North Wales were all called off due to the snow,
it felt like an eternity before I was going to time keep again.
But here I was, the 2013 British Rally Championship season opener was to be the Pirelli Richard Burns
Foundation Rally held on the 4 th and 5 th May. I usually do the Arrival Control for one of my Stage
Commanders Jon Binns, and, regular as clockwork, his email came a few weeks before the event.
However, I was asked to hold off my ATC slot by the organisers of the BRC as they might have a little job
for me to do. As you all know I work for Competition Car Insurance and we sponsor the BRC by being
the official insurer to the championship. I had gotten to know the BRC team very well in 2012 as I
attended all of the rounds mainly for work but also as a time keeper.
To cut a long story short, the little job that the BRC had planned for me was to help out with the Renault
entrants, however, as there were only 3 of them entered I became surplus to requirements. That is until I
got a phone call 4 days before the event... Media Manager Simon Moss called late one evening and
asked me if I still wanted a job. He then proceeded to tell me all about the BRC Live radio programme
that was to be broadcast LIVE (!!) for the duration of the events this year and how they had been let down
by someone for the Pirelli. Now, I’m not exactly a great public speaker, in fact I’m actually pretty shy?, so
you can imagine the horror that ran down my spine as Simon asked me to help them out. He gave me a
day to sleep on the offer and said he would be in touch.
Well as you can imagine, I was speechless. I then proceeded to ask my husband and best mate what
they thought of the idea of me being on the radio babbling about rallying! I thought it was ludicrous but
Paul then said something very true. “It will be like being on a time control but without the time cards!” I
have been told I chat to competitors far too much on my Arrival Controls so this made sense. I am also
one of these people that wants to try everything once – how do I know I won’t like something if I have
never tried it?! I usually apply this to food I might add, but, after sleeping on the idea I thought if I try and
I'm rubbish then they won’t ask again but if I don’t try I will always wonder if I would have been any good.
So I called Simon and said let’s try it out.
On Thursday, I was given the task of interviewing competitors in service during the Saturday and Sunday
of the rally. O-M-G this was really going to happen!! On the other hand I thought, I can manage that....I
know most of the competitors and their service crews so I became a little more comfortable with the idea.
Soon Friday came around and I was live quoting On Event Damage policies in service so the idea and
nerves of being on the radio were banished.
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On Friday evening, just before being let loose on the airwaves we had our Media Team Briefing. The
media team consisted of 2 crews that would be at the end of some of the stages getting quotes from
competitors for the BRC website and also interviewing them for the radio show (Matt Cotton, Bex Hinton
and Dan Nieroda all braved the weather for the weekend as well as the forests). Andy was the
Challenger reporter who would be based in service and would be getting quotes from the BRC Challenge
competitors for the website, Simon was to help out with the TV side of things and gadget man Neil
Burgess was holding it all together by doing all the technology stuff and updating the website with his
magic software. In the studio (a room at his home) the BRC Live DJ Neil Cloughly would be the one coordinating
the interviewing and the radio show.
Now, I was pretty shaky at this point thinking what the hell have I got myself into here, I was then told that
there would be no one to cover the Start and the Finish.....we had a short chat about it and I was the only
person realistically that could do the job due to logistics. And so, my duties grew before I could stop
them! I was then shown how to use the gadgets which consisted of some in ear-phones and a
microphone and with a crash course of “try not to say the same thing over and over” and after that I
promptly legged it back to my hotel before I was given another duty!!
Saturday came far too quickly and the first thing I did was go and see some of the friends that would be
competing in the rally. Everyone was eager to get going, and it was really good to see so many of the
Irish over both in the BRC and the Challenge line ups. I caught up with both my southern and northern
Irish accents which was heaven and I then proceeded to advise competitors of my radio job for the rally
and that they had to be nice and talk to me on the radio and not swear. I have to thank Martyn Taylor for
helping me get some brief notes together about a few of the competitors, I even referred to it on occasion!
Soon enough you could hear the rumble of the rally cars and the smell of the fuel and I could feel the
butterflies going nuts in my tummy. I was really dreading the task ahead but also pretty excited too.
We arrived at the ceremonial start in Carlisle city centre and I had to do some testing. As it turns out the
crash course in the technology I was to use was futile as the PA system was interrupting the radio
frequency (or something like that). So the microphone and ear phones were ditched and I was armed
with a phone....not ideal but it had to do with the cars starting in 30 minutes. The hum in the city centre
was fantastic, the sun was out and everyone was looking forward to the start. There were 12 R3 DS3's
ready to fight as well as the R2 Fiesta's, Chris Ingram's R2 Twingo and the couple of R1 Twingo's.
James Ford and David Carney were also in the R2 mix with their C2's. It was going to be an excellent
rally.
I have to thank DJ Neil for breaking me in gently, we talked about what I could see, what the atmosphere
was like, what the cars looked like and then he wanted to hear from the competitors so we could all find
out which stages they were looking forward to, what preparations had they done to the cars, what effect
the weather was going to have, what the confidence levels were like and the questions went on. I
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managed to interview the main players, Pirelli Star Driver Mark Donnelly, Alastair Fisher, Tom Cave, Desi
Henry, Callum Black and Osian Pryce. I was also eager to talk to Garry Pearson was BRC Junior
Champion in 2012 in his R1 Twingo and was switching to an R2 Fiesta and I wanted to know the
difference. In essence its handling and power by the way! The list of interviewees went on and it was
interesting the hear all of the points of view. It seemed everyone was eager to get started, most drivers
were looking forward to the 3 rd stage of the day as it was technical, as well as Callum looking forward to
the last stage of the day and bringing the car home safely! One competitor who stood out was Harry
Threlfall who was out in an R1 Twingo and was so excited to be competing you could hear it in his voice.
It was a pleasure to see and I couldn’t wait to interview him again and hoped the listeners could hear the
excitement I was seeing!
Everyone was great in answering questions and it was excellent to be a part of the competitors getting
ready for their ceremonial start. We talked about pace notes and the weather having an effect on the
sages as the competitors had recced in the wet, we spoke about marshalling and the lack of new
volunteers available for events. We heard from a marshal and what he enjoys about the events (getting
close to the action and the circle of friends he has made - I would second both of those). Soon enough
the first BRC car was across the start and it was time to wrap up the live part of the show. I was on air for
approx 45 minutes but it flew past and thankfully as I have a genuine interest in all things rally I am
pleased I could hold a conversation in all of the areas I was asked about.
I made an informed guess at a top tip for the 2013 season and I have gone with backing Alastair Fisher.
He suffered a fair few problems in his 2012 season with his R2 Fiesta both in the BRC and in the WRC
Academy. However, having switched to an R3 DS3 for the 2013 season he was straight out the box in
WRC Portugal fighting strong until mechanical issues hampered him. I am a firm believer of both Ali and
Gordy Noble (the co-driver) for this season and decided that the listeners should know!!
The competitors were due back into service for a whole 20 minutes in approx 3 hours so off I went back
to service. I now know what it’s like to be part of a service crew, mad half hour in the morning getting the
car ready with nothing to do for 3 hours, then a mad 20 minute service to re-fuel and tweak things then
another 3 hour wait for them to come back for the night. Still it was good to catch up with the service
crews that I know.
It was also interesting to see the behind the scenes of the website. Neil Burgess has invented all sorts of
software and gadgets to help him keep the BRC website up to date – you really are quite clever Neil! He
was getting calls from the Media team out in the stages giving him end of stage quotes which he
uploaded to the website, photos that were being taken on the end of the stages automatically came to
him to be uploaded – it was quite something to watch. Having used the website, it was really good to see
how it all comes together for us to read. My heart was in my mouth watching the results coming through.
The Irish were surprising a few people David Carney was setting times quicker that the seasoned BRC
Challenge pro Richard Sykes and Dean Raftery was overtaking people like a man possessed!
Soon the competitors were due back into service for 20 minutes, however, we had learned that there was
a Road Traffic Accident on the A69 which was causing a hold up and the Challenge competitors were
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coming in late. Although I did manage to get some interviews with them before I headed back into
service to wait for the BRC guys.
This was probably the trickiest part of the whole radio gig for me. The competitors had 20 minutes once
they had booked in to the service in control. They wanted to eat and drink and chill out. And there I was
wanting to talk to them about the first loop of stages. Tom Cave was first and bless him he just motioned
for me to come into his camper while he was busily scoffing his lunch and the interview proceeded with
him in 3 rd place at the time. Jukka Korhonen was next and despite being Finnish and shy he managed a
brief chat and advised us that the car was perfect. He was in 1 st place. I managed to get into the Davy
Greer Motorsport enclosure and interview Alastair Fisher and Mark Donnelly while they were both eating.
Mark was unfortunate enough for me to ask a question while he took a bite of his sandwich and I had to
fill in a bit before he could answer – I shall remember that fondly as he looked at me as if to say “I have a
mouthful here you know woman!”
Neil directed me to the people he wanted to speak with and I ran up and down the service park like a
lunatic trying to speak to as many people as I could in the 20 minutes we had access to them for. Harry
again gave us a wonderful interview and he was already a firm favourite in my book. After that mad time
the competitors all left for their second loop of stages apart from David Carney who had a problem with
his gearbox and went Over Time Limit before his crew could change it – bad times!
Special Stage 5 caused havoc with punctures galore with a lot of the top runners having issues. The
standings over night after SS6 were, Jukka Korhonen 1st, Tom Cave 2 nd (doing well to get up there from
5 th ) and Alastair Fisher 3 rd after getting a puncture. Osian Pryce and John MacCrone suffered punctures,
Jon Armstrong hit a bridge and also picked up punctures yet Norway's Steve Rokland was charging in his
R2 Fiesta and Garry Pearson was hot on his heels. It was madness watching all of this action unfold.
Daniel McKenna, another hot tipped Irishman who has won the Billy Coleman Award in 2012, also
suffered with punctures thwarting his efforts in his R2 Fiesta.
Soon the BRC Challenge had finished, with Russ Thompson taking 1 st place, Richard Sykes taking 2 nd
after a few mechanical issues and Aaron McClure taking a well deserved 3 rd place on his first ever Pirelli
rally. I managed to get interviews will all 3 podium placed drivers and they were all grateful to get to the
end of a tough rally. I found that Russ is quite shy on the Radio listening to him being interviewed (not
quite so shy without a microphone I can assure you!), Richard Sykes is a seasoned pro telling our
listeners all about his problems and Aaron was thrilled to get a podium in his Fiesta. Congrats to all of
them. I was disappointed to hear that Tony Simpson had a small fire and did not finish.
Day 1 was over, the cars were all tucked away and the media team congregated in the pub for a well
earned dinner. I was surprised at how tired I was. It’s draining trying to think of things to say to fill air
time and I could barely speak at dinner. Still it was an enjoyable and interesting day.
Day 2 started a little earlier as the competitors were due out of service at 9am and DJ Neil decided he
wanted to talk to the top 5 overnight drivers. I managed to get hold of Alastair Fisher, Mark Donnelly,
Jonny Greer and Jon Armstrong – not quite the top 5 but 3 out of 5 wasn’t bad! For those of you that
know me, you also know that I have a bit of a thing for the Irish accent and I can assure you that the
interviews I did were all randomly chosen and had nothing at all to do with me listening to them speak for
20 minutes :-D Tom Cave and Jukka Korhonen had already gone to pre-start! The in depth interviews
were all about the competitors feelings for the last 4 stages, what had happened in the previous day, what
the game plan was and what, if anything, had been done to tweak the cars. I was pleased to hear that
my top tip was planning on pushing to get back his 2 nd place. Jon Armstrong thanked Daniel McKenna
for lending him a part (Im sure he said pump?!) so that he was able to continue on Day 2. This is what I
love about rallying, they might compete out on the stages, but they all help each other out where they
can.
I went over to pre-start to try and get a few words with the rest of the competitors and the buzz was
already starting. A fair few of them were disappointed with their mishaps on Day 1, some were planning
on pushing, however, most were planning on getting to the finish with no more issues, and Harry in is R1
Twingo was “just out to have fun and gain experience” with a beaming smile on his face! Timmy Cathcart
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told us all about how he had no intercom for part of Day 1, however, having Barry McNulty sat with him I
can imagine this made no difference! Apparently hand signals were used but the pace dropped which
was a shame. Osian Pryce was just looking for a finish and Daniel McKenna was going to push following
their punctures the day before. David Carney and James Ford both had nightmares on Day 1 but both
were back out for Day 2, however they both just wanted a finish and David just wanted more gravel
experience as this was only his 2 nd time out on the loose stuff coming from an Irish tarmac background.
There would be no service today so the next time I would see the guys we would have a winner!
I watched the results coming in on the edge of my seat! Alastair was right, he was flying trying to
catching up on Tom Cave whose end of stage quotes stated that he was being very cautious as it was
very slippy. On the last stage Tom lost time due to an overshoot so Alastair managed to pass him for 2 nd
place. Daniel McKenna was also on a mission setting fastest R2 stage times in his Fiesta proving he is
going to be one to watch this season taking 3 rd place in the R2 honours, however, he could not catch
Steve Rockland who won with Garry Pearson in 2 nd place which is a fantastic result after moving up from
the R1 class.
One person who didn’t put a foot wrong all weekend and stated he had a “perfect rally” with a “perfect
car” was Jukka Korhonen and finally took a BRC win. Alastair got to 2 nd and Tom managed a credible 3 rd
place – a podium was his aim and this is what he got!
This was an interesting way to spend a rally and I have to thank the BRC for giving me the opportunity to
try it out. Not sure if it is for me but I was told by a few that had listened that I did a good job for my first
try. My thanks also have to go out to the BRC competitors who let me barge in on their breakfasts and
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lunches and talk to them at the end when clearly the rally had not gone as planned (Peter Taylor)!
Unfortunately I still got rained on and I still got cold, so not too different from marshalling after all. I just
avoided getting lost on the way to find my Arrival spot!
For those of you that want to tune in on the Jim Clark rally on 1 st and 2 nd of June, please download the
BRC app and you will be able to hear us. Not sure if I will be doing it again but the show is well worth a
listen if you want to hear all about the action as it is unfolding LIVE!
Anyone who wants to help out by marshalling, here is a list of upcoming events:
1 st and 2 nd June Jim Clark Rally Scottish Borders
8 th June Dukeries Rally Nottinghamshire
9 th June Abingdon Carnival Oxforshire
15 th June Severn Valley Stages Wales
22 nd June Mini Rally of the Midlands Nuneaton
29 th and 30 th June Scottish Rally Dumfries
13 th July Nicky Grist Stages Builth Wells
28 th July Harry Flatters Rally Epynt
We require help for all of these events so please contact me if you want to assist and I will pass on your
details to the relevant Stage Commanders.
Many thanks
Jaz Bareham
South Midlands Rally Representative
BRMC Treasurer
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SOUTH MIDS REGION CLUB NIGHTS
BRITISH MOTORSPORTS MARSHALS CLUB
The club nights in South Mids seem just to get better and better. This past year or so we have had some
super guests – culminating with Sir Jackie Stewart, arguably the best known motorsport personality of the
present day, who came along to the White Horse in Silverstone in May 2013. Sir Jackie was in great form
and seemed to respond especially well to an audience of well-informed and knowledgeable marshals. He
was very relaxed and posed for photographs with the Landlord and his wife, which I am sure will win pride
of place above the bar for some time to come – as will the photo of Sir Jackie pulling a pint behind the bar
and offering his services for busy weekends!
It was Alan and Fay Crook plus Bob Sketchley who resurrected the idea of regular club nights and they
are the main people behind the current very successful run. However, there are several others who chip
in to find speakers – Peter Minchinton, Geoff Dawson and George Copeland have all helped.
Recent guests have included Christian Horner, Martin Brundle – who both offered “an hour or so” from
very busy schedules but were still answering questions and talking to marshals three hours later! We
have seen in recent months John Watson, Lord Drayson, Andy Priaulx, Anthony Davidson, Allan McNish,
Andy Wallace, Dave Richards of Prodrive and BAR fame, designer Tony Southgate and many more from
the top echelon of motorsport. Local favourites such as our own President Whizzo, Callum Lockie (these
two should team up to drive in every race at Goodwood), Gary Pearson, Nick Mason, Ray Mallock,
Simon Hadfield have all made substantial appearances.
Bob’s guest book now contains well over 60 names – an important piece of motor sport memorabilia most
definitely not headed for E-Bay!!
Running alongside this has been a programme of visits to the premises of many of our guests. Teams of
marshals have been welcomed at Red Bull, Nick Mason’s Ten Tenths site, Prodrive, Force India, Ray
Mallock Limited, Dawn Treader Engineering, Classic Performance Engineering and several private
preparation shops – where there has been the odd “discovery” of quite famous cars.
In 2013, the MSA’s Year of the Volunteer, drivers are to be encouraged to show their appreciation of
marshals. It seems this practice is already alive and well in the BMMC South Mids region – and we thank
all the 60+ drivers who have given us their time over the past few years.
George Copeland
National Treasurer BMMC
Photos by Jakob Ebrey
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BMMC and Social Media
It was not so long ago that our club discussed the matter of how we controlled our website to ensure that
the name of the club was only used by ‘authorised representatives’. We reviewed the club rules and
thought that rule G.2 had it all covered. The rule states: No member except an authorised Club official
may at any time make a statement for or on behalf of BMMC to a representative of the media, or post a
comment on any social network site in relation to any incident or accident which may occur at any motor
competition whether the member is on duty at the time and place of the occurrence or not.
That rule still operates, but it is obvious that it is far too narrow, and that the world has moved on as far as
social media is concerned. Twitter, Facebook, Linked-in etc. all allow for free discussion and we are
seeing more and more groups being set up to discuss marshalling matters, indeed some of our regions
now have their own Facebook pages.
As a club, National Council has no desire to try to enforce draconian rules on all our members in an
attempt to ensure no-one posts anything controversial that might misrepresent the club’s views – it just
would not work anyway. What we do want to do however is to encourage you, our members, to use the
social media sites responsibly and keep us informed as to what you are posting.
We would ask, therefore, for all members to follow these few guidelines:
1. Our club badge is extremely well known and instantly recognisable – it is also very easy to copy
and paste onto a site or message. So the first thing we would ask is that if anyone wants to use
the badge in any way, in any form, on or in any media, they first ask permission from Council.
2. We would also ask that, before setting up any website, webpage, blog, group etc. you let Council
know of your intent. Use of modern social media can be a great asset to the club, so we will
actively encourage its use, but we need to have an understanding of what is being posted.
3. On any page that bears our club name or badge we would ask that the words “The opinions and
views on the pages are that of the individual and in no way represent those of BMMC LTD"
appear.
This subject (and rule G.2) will be debated at the next Council meeting, so if you have any opinions or
comments on the use of social media please let our National Secretary Chris Whitlock know so we can
ensure they are included in the discussions.
In the meantime, enjoy your posts and feel free to make your opinions known. As always the most
efficient way of influencing the club, or marshalling in general, is to talk to one of your regional committee
members or a national officer. We are all here to represent your views and to run the club on your behalf.
Please help us to help you!
Chris Hobson
National Chairman
22

Go Motorsport Live at Silverstone on Sunday 7 th July
Go Motorsport Live! all set for Silverstone debut
Preparations for the inaugural Go Motorsport Live! at Silverstone on 7 July are gathering pace,
with more than 20 exhibitors already signed up to help show the public how accessible the
sport can be.
The free event will conclude National Motorsport Week just seven days after the British Grand
Prix. Motor clubs, championships, teams and other organisations will set up static displays,
which will complement a live Production Car Autotest with free passenger rides, plus a Trials
demonstration.
Silverstone will also offer discounted driving experiences and tours of its world-famous
facilities, and visitors will also be able to watch the Formula Student finals taking place.
Meanwhile marshalling clubs will be on hand to advise potential recruits and highlight the role
as part of the MSA’s Year of the Volunteer.
MSA Development Officer Jess Fack manages Go Motorsport and is part of the Go Motorsport
Live! organising team. “We’ve been really encouraged by the level of interest in Go Motorsport
Live! so soon after announcing the event,” she said. “We want people to come back to
Silverstone after the Grand Prix and see that F1 is just the tip of an iceberg. There are all sorts
of ways that people can get involved in our sport, not matter what the budget.
“Visitors will be able to meet motor clubs and championship representatives, experience
grassroots motor sport from the passenger seat, and find out how to get behind the scenes as
a volunteer. And there will be plenty of competition cars on display too, from karts and club
hatchbacks to drag racers and BTCC machines!”
BMMC will have a stand at the show and among other things will be giving real time
demonstrations by a Rescue Unit on how they deal with extractions from a damaged car and
the role they play within the Motorsport community; they will also be giving guided tours of the
unit and all the equipment that is at their disposal. There will also be a historic rally car on
display and members of the British Rally Marshals Club will be there to give information about
all aspects of Rallying.
Public admittance to Go Motorsport Live! is free but visitors must pre-register at
www.GoMotorsport.net from Wednesday 15 May.
Any motor sport clubs, associations, championships, groups, manufacturers or other
organisations wishing to get involved in Go Motorsport Live! should contact Jess Fack via
jess.fack@msauk.org or +44 (0)7568 105 887 by 31 May 2013.
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750 Sporting Trials Diary
2013 Season
Saturday, 15 th June :- The Trials Picnic.
VENUE :- Tulleys Farm, Turners Hill, West Sussex.
SUMMER RECESS :- Time to do all those mods. You have been planning
Ready for the September restart. Time also to clean and prepare the car??
Sunday, 22 nd September ;- The Autumn Cup Trial.
VENUE :- Stoneacre Farm, Otham, Kent
Sunday, 6 th October :- The Alec King Trial.
VENUE :- Kingsdell, Froxfield, Nr. Petersfield, Hants.
Saturday, 26 th October :- The Bisley Trial.
VENUE :- Bidfield Farm, Camp, Nr. Stroud, Glos.
Sunday, 17 th November :- The Tulleys Farm Trial
VENUE :- Tulleys Farm, Turners Hill, West Sussex.
Sunday, 8 th December :- The Winter Trial.
Venue :- Chads Farm, Meopham, Kent.
Saturday, 28 th December :- The 14 th Plum Pudding Shakedown Trial.
VENUE :- TBA.
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BMMC - South Mids Regalia Sales Order Form
For British Rally Marshals Club regalia - please contact Mike Grantham Mobile: 07968 160664
Email: midland@brmc.org.uk
For all other Club regalia - please see our latest on-line Catalogue - www.marshals.co.uk
Or, send an A5 size SAE to – Eric Ridler, 41 Norwood Drive, Timperley WA15 7LD
Item Price P&P Grade Qty Total
Cost
Grading Badge (Please provide proof of grade) 1.50 0.45
Grading Badge (Please provide proof of grade) 1.50 0.45
Union Badge 1.50 0.45
Sew-on Cloth Badge 2.00 0.45
Iron-on Cloth Badge 2.00 0.45
Lapel Badge 2.00 0.70
Interior Sticker 2.00 0.45
Exterior Sticker 2.00 0.45
Long Interior Sticker 2.00 0.70
Heroes Cloth Badge 2.00 0.45
Heroes Lapel Badge 2.00 0.45
Heroes Sticker 2.00 0.45
Heroes Key ring 2.00 0.70
50 Years of Motorsport Marshalling 10.00 2.50 Member
50 Years of Motorsport Marshalling 12.50 2.50 Non-
Name:
Address: Postcode:
Telephone No:
Email:
Membership Nos:
Mobile:
Total
Cheques/Postal Orders should be made payable to - BMRMC Limited
Please debit my *Visa/MasterCard/Maestro/Delta/Solo with the total amount shown above
* Please note we are unable to accept payment by Visa Electron
Card Number:
Issue No. Sec No From M M Y Y To M M Y Y
Cardholder’s Name (as shown on card)
Cardholder’s Signature
Please send this order form with payment to: - Adrian Cashmore, 9 Church Street,
Weedon, Northants, NN7 4PL Email: sm.regalia@marshals.co.uk
25

Regional Officers
Chairman: Paul Harris
E-Mail: sm.chairman@marshals.co.uk 01525 382341
Secretary: Lesley Harris
E-Mail: sm.secretary@marshals.co.uk
Treasuer & Regalia - Adrian Cashmore 01327340677
E-Mail: sm.regalia@marshals.co.uk
Membership & Competition Secretary - David Reed 01327857346
E-Mail: sm.regalia@marshals.co.uk
Address: The Berries”, 26 Little London, Silverstone, NN12 8UP
Grading - Ben Harris 01525 373936
E-Mail: sm.grading@marshals.co.uk
Address: 9 Partridge Road, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 4BJ
Training Officer: Clive Wayland
E-Mail: sm.training@marshals.co.uk
Newsletter Editor: Karen “Kaz” Connolly
E-Mail: sm.news@marshals.co.uk
Address: 180 Brickley Lane, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 3DA
Regional Recruitment Officer: Peter Lapthorne 01707 328622
E-mail: sm.recruiting@marshals.co.uk
Rally Representative: Jasmina Bareham
E-mail: southmidlands@brmc.org.uk
Regional Web Administrator: Christopher Hatch
E-mail: sm.webadmin@marshals.co.uk
Karting Liaison: Peter Cox
E-Mail: petecoxkart@hotmail.com
01295 257674 (Non-
Committee)
28

National Officers
Chairman: Chris Hobson
Ballaugh, 27 Dollicott, Haddenham, Bucks, HP17 8JL
Tel: 01844 290631 Mob: 07789 206809
E-Mail: bmmc.chair@marshals.co.uk
Secretary: Chris Whitlock
3 Acorn Way, Silverstone, NN12 8DQ
Tel: 01327 857011
E-Mail: Nat.secretary@marshals.co.uk
Treasurer: George W Copeland
Rustico, Forest Road, Hanslope, Bucks, MK19 7DE
Tel: 01908 510137
E-Mail: nat.treasurer@marshals.co.u
BRMC Chairman: Jon Cordery
6a West Street, Croydon, Surrey, CR0 1DG
Tel: 0208 680 8861 Mob: 07710 128824
E-Mail: chair@brmc.org.uk
National Training Officer: Andy Holly
Tel: 07702381967.
E-Mail: nat.training@marshals.co.uk
National Grading Officer: Steve Malec
14 Osborn Close, Ipplepen, Newton Abbot TX12 5XB
Mob: 07526 902016
E-Mail: nat.grading@marshals.co.uk
National P.R.O.: Stephen Green
21 Ivory Close, Faversham, Kent, ME13 7RS
Tel: 01795 532223 Mob: 07958 570652
E-Mail: nat.pro@marshals.co.uk
National Membership Secretary: Paul Sutcliffe
7 Fourth Avenue, Limeside, Oldham, OL8 3RU
Tel: 0161 290 0371
E-Mail nat.members@marshals.co.uk
28

Editorial Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in the Newsletter are those of individual
contributors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Region or the
BMMC as a whole. We reserve the right to include or omit contributions and
to edit for length and clarity.
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